Mark Snow

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In his over three-hour interview, Mark Snow discusses studying composition and oboe at Juilliard before moving to California to pursue composing for television. He describes his first big break, composing for the Spelling-Goldberg show The Rookies, and being nominated for an Emmy for his work on the Spelling produced made-for-TV movie Something About Amelia. Snow details his use of synthesizers in composing and the effect of technology on the music industry. He then discusses his work on The X-Files, including composing the theme song (telling the story behind the tune’s trademark whistle) and score, his work on The X-Files movies, the 2016 reboot of the show, and its spin-offs. He also touches on specific episodes of the show. He discusses his mentor, composer Earle Hagen, and describes his other film and television work, including Smallville, Ghost Whisperer, and Blue Bloods. He concludes with advice to aspiring television composers, career highlights and regrets, and how he would like to be remembered. Adrienne Faillace conducted the interview on March 24, 2016 in Santa Monica, CA.

“Chris Carter would show up on the mixing stage [for ‘The X-Files’] and he would tell the mixers, ‘You know, the dialogue’s good, but I want to hear that music raised.’…I’ve never been on any other show where the music was that prominent. And I think that’s one of the reasons why people noticed it, because they could hear it.”